Controller John Chiang's office has been publishing the payrolls of cities, counties, school districts, special districts and public colleges since 2010.

It was a response to the scandal in Bell, where secretive city managers hid their outsized pay from the public for years. Chiang says the website has received more than 7 million hits.

"People really, really care about this issue, especially when you witness what happened in the past in good communities like Bell," Chiang said. "They can review the salaries in their local community versus what others are paid in neighboring communities."

"The salaries were pretty much adjusted a couple of years ago and looked as if they were in perhaps the top quartile, but not the highest in the state," said John Van de Kamp, the former state Attorney General. He is an ethics advisor under contract to Vernon, which promised reforms after state legislators tried to disband the city.

Another factors boosting Vernon's average is that many of the city's 250 workers are police, firefighters or utility workers who serve Vernon's industrial customers. Those types of jobs pull down higher-than-average salaries among municipal workers. Retirement payouts to some senior city executives who left in 2012 also drove up the average pay, Van de Kamp said.

Los Angeles also ranked high on the state list, in fourth place, with city workers averaging more than $90,000 in annual compensation. By comparison, other big cities paid far less, including San Francisco, $77,000; San Diego, $64,000; San Jose and Palo Alto, $63,000; and Long Beach, $60,000.

The figures represent total compensation, which includes benefits, bonus pay and overtime.

Previously in Represent!

Represent! is your eye on how well government serves citizens and the public interest in Southern California. KPCC's politics and government team posts frequently on transparency, civic engagement, reform efforts and accountability. We invite your comments and suggestions — follow us on Twitter at the links below.